Biggles au pays de la soif (Aredit comic)/plot
The story is a fairly faithful adaptation of the original except that some of the conversation has been shortened for the speech bubbles. The section headings were not in the comic but are inserted here with the equivalent chapter numbers in the original book, for easier organisation of the comments. First flights (Chapters 1-4) The events of the first four chapters are depicted accurately: the arrival at Salima, the first reconnaissance, how Ginger goes missing and is then found by Biggles, Ginger's account of what he saw, and how Biggles and Ginger see the caravan with von Zoyton and Pallini leading General Demaurice and other prisoners away. The Decoy (Chapter 5) The Whitley trap is sprung takes place much as in the original except that Tug and Tex are sent to cut off the retreat of the German fighters, not Algy and Tex. The air combat is briefer than in the original. In another deviation, besides Heinrich Hymann, there are other German pilots who have baled out. Bertie lands and picks them up. The wounded he delivers to Karga Oasis. He then flies Hymann back to Salima for questioning. Biggles Strikes Again (Chapters 6-8) The second Whitley decoy flight takes place much as in the original. After Hymann's Spitfire is shot down, von Zoyton is taken prisoner. Biggles takes off in the Messerschmitt. What happened at Salima is told in retrospect. Ginger arrives, to everyone's surprise and tells them about Hymann's theft of his Spitfire and how he shot down a Messerschmitt over an oasis, which the others then tell him is Biggles. The mistake about Ginger flying Henry's Spitfire is not repeated. Ginger probably flew Biggles' as Tex says Biggles appears to have changed planes. The capture of the armoured car happens in the same way as the original. Ginger and Bertie take Tex (not Taffy as in the original) to rescue Biggles. They do not pass through a Tuareg encampment but somehow end up with gumbazes. The scuffle with Biggles, and the rescue of General Demaurice happens the same way. Return to Salima (Chapters 9-11) The sequence of events including the escape from Wadi Umbo by armoured car, the attack by Me 109s and Me 110s, the arrival at the Whitley crash site, the escape of Von Zoyton and the other prisoners, getting caught in the haboob and the chivalrous exchange of radio messages are all depicted faithfully. Biggles and his team return to Salima where Algy has just fought off a German attack. Biggles summons the Defiant, piloted by Angus, to collect General Demaurice but the aircraft takes him to Cairo not Wadi Halfa. Strike and Counterstrike (Chapters 12-13) Von Zoyton's attack on Salima is depicted accurately--from the two Me 109 decoys, the four providing top cover and the ME 110 low down. However the combat is described much more briefly. The intervention of Angus' Defiant is shown, as is the death of his gunner. He is unnamed in the original but is called "John" here. His conversation with Biggles as he died is not depicted. The longish chapter 13 in the original where Biggles briefs his men about his plan to strike back is covered very briefly. Biggles merely tells them he needs to capture the Dragon at Wadi Umbo as a means of transport (to ferry pilots to fetch the remaining Spitfires are Karga). Then Algy flies Biggles and Ginger in the Defiant to do the parachute drop. Taffy, Ferocity and Henry are not detailed to dig out the armoured car like in the original. Unlike the original, there is no announcement that a VIP transport flight is due to go through. Attack on Wadi Umbo (Chapter 14) The parachute drop, the arrival of the Ju-52s and the attack by Bertie and Tug all take place as in the original. However Biggles is not challenged as he approaches the radio trucks and he has a much easier time destroying them. The freeing of Freddie Gillson and the other prisoners is the same. They board a Dragon. As drawn here, it looks nothing like the real thing, more like an oversized Mosquito. Egress from Wadi Umbo (Chapter 15) The way Biggles is left behind takes place much as in the original. He and Ginger then escape by stealing two camels. Like in the original, Ginger falls. Then two then hold off the pursuing Arabs until the intervention of the armoured car. It is driven by Tex and not Taffy and he explains that having nothing to do they decided to dig it out, and went to search for when they heard about what happened at Wadi Umbo from Freddie Gillson. Like in the original, Biggles signals Algy to send pilots to fetch the Spitfires at Karga and they return to Salima. The Battle of Salima (Chapter 16) The air combat here takes place much as described, but it is Tex and not Taffy who flies the Defiant with Ferocity as gunner. They do argue after being shot down just like in the original. The Last Round (Chapter 17) The raid on Wadi Umbo and the final air combat between Biggles and von Zoyton happens much as in the original. The senior R.A.F. officer arrives at the end but a Lysander is not depicted and it is not clear how he got in. Category:Plot summaries (derivative works)